Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-01
HOugehOld.


Fashion walks into the dining room and
lays her sCepter on the table, sometimes
with reason and sometimes in ways most
| arbitrary. OF late she DEGREES that in
| the center of the damask white cloth
which has been laid over canton flannel
! for dinner there shall be placed a square
Of fine linen, bOrdered with q dainty de-
| sign in cross-stich in colored ingram
| silks, and wide bordering of Irish linen
lace at The edge about six inches in width
and of the finest quality. The cloth is
about three-quarters of yard in length,
and the low vase of flowers or dish of
fruit that deCOrstes the middle of the
table is set upon it.
For tea, remove both cloth and cotton
flannel pad, and lay Colored napkin IN
der each tea plate, placing the napkin
cornerWise, thus giving room for the
teacup at the right and sauce plate at the
left; at the corner above each plate place
little butter plate.
Under the small dishes place napkins
folded square, with one corner reversed; ;
this makes fringe all round. Under the
cold meat dish, bread and cake plates,
lay the fringed napkin wholly unfolded
The touch of color and the contrast with
the bare plates upon the walnut, chest
nut or Oaken table gives very artistic
effect.
For keeping the table IN good order
there is no better way than to rub
it off once week with bit of soft fan
mel which has been dipped IN kerosene
oil.
There might be a seasonable word said
to young housekeepers opposing the IN
reasonable prejudice existing against the
frying pan. The resources of this
despised cooking utensil are infinite and
good things come out of it in spite of
want of skill in those who use it. Care
full regard to essentials will convince any
one who tries, that this utensil is indis-
pensable in good cookery; few hints
economic and practical will confirm this
opinion.
In frying it is the common mistake to
use too little fat, or else not to have it
sufficiently heated. The heat is not great
enough for frying until the fat sends up 6
thin smoke, or untila bit of bread dropped
into it becomes brown and crisp almost
instantly. This test should always be
applied. Then, having not less than 6
pound or two of good fat in shallow
iron kettle, you will have within easy
Teacn al the pest results to be attained
by the process of frying.
French cooks prefer beef fat to lard tor
frying, and give number OF valid rec
sons. Beef fat does not adhere to articles
cooked in it, as lard does, and it imparts
no flavor, as does all that pertains to
pork; and for these two reasons, at least,
frying done in beef fat IS more wholesome
and digestible than that done in lard. A
careful cook, moreover, need never buy
fat for the frying kettle, but will find her
self amply supplied with the drippings and
fat remnants from roasts of beef and
mutton and the fat skinned from the
soup kettle. All such skimmings and
remnants should be fried out about twice
week by boiling them all together in
water, not by frying. When the fat is all
melted it should be strained with the
water, and set.away to cool. After it has
hardened lift the cake from the water on
which it lies, scrape off any dark parti-
cles adhering TO the bottom, remelt it,
and strain it again into the small stone jar
that is the best for keeping frying fat. 1t
is now ready for use. After frying IN
1t you have only to let it stand five or ten